What is in There?
by SneakerTime
Summary: Hotch has something special and the team wants to know what is inside his briefcase. Will they find out? Just a fun story, involves whole team.


**Please R&R but be nice please!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.**

**What is in There?**

He honestly couldn't stand the wicked witch of the west aka Erin Strauss. But of all her schemes and ideas, he was actually happy for the idea of team bonding exercises. Honestly they didn't need to bond anymore, but it was still fun to be heading to the park to spend time with his family.

"Is Henry going to be there daddy?" his son Jack asked from the backseat.

"You bet he is bud, you ready to have a fun time with your aunts and uncles at the park?"

"Yeah! Let's go daddy!"

He found it so easy to smile around his son. Usually he wasn't able to separate Agent Hotchner from Aaron, especially after Haley died. But with his son, nothing was easier than to smile at him. As he pulled into the parking lot, he noticed that Garcia, Morgan and JJ plus Henry had already arrived. As he got out of the car and helped his son, he made sure to grab his _special_ briefcase.

"Hi Henry!" Jack yelled running ahead of his dad to the younger boy holding a bouncy ball.

"Yo Hotch!" Morgan yelled in greeting.

"Boss man, oh my gosh, you look so normal!" Garcia squealed noticing that Hotch was dressed in jeans and a deep red athletic t-shirt.

"I'll take that as a compliment Garcia."

"Have no fear, I have brought the good drinks!" Rossi announced walking towards the group.

"Back up Rossi, we have children here." JJ scolded him with a smirk.

"What? The kids can have soda, and the adults can have adult beverages. Come on, Hotch, you'll back me up right?" Rossi asked.

"Nope. I will stick to Pepsi, not to mention I am a designated driver." Hotch replied.

"Fine. Fine. Maybe we will have a special party at my place for adults only."

"Adults only? I'm in." Prentiss said laughing.

"Wait, you mean this isn't the main party?" Reid asked already confused even though he just joined the conversation.

"Nothing Spence, just let it go." JJ told him.

"Alright! Now that the gang is all here, who is ready for some touch football?" Morgan asked. Followed by a chorus of 'I'm in's'.

"Alright, I call team captain!" Prentiss yelled.

"Me too!" yelled Morgan.

"I want JJ…" Prentiss started.

"I will take Rossi…"

"Aunty Emmy, Jack and I wanna be on your team, together." Henry told her.

"Of course! It would be an honor to have the two of you on our team!" Prentiss told the boys.

"Reid, you equal the same as two little boys, you'll be on my team!" Morgan told him.

"I resent that comment." Reid answered.

"Alright Hotch your with us!" Prentiss told him.

"I think I will have to pass. Besides, without Garcia and I, the teams will be even."

"Yeah, I will not mess up this outfit and hairdo for a football game. I'm out." Garcia told them.

"Alright, Morgan if you lose, you have to get me coffee for a month!" Prentiss told him.

"I don't know, I don't wanna take advantage of you princess."

"Believe me you won't. So are we on, or are you too afraid?" she asked teasingly.

"Oh let us bring it on!" Morgan replied.

As he watched the team line up to start their game, he grabbed his briefcase and sat down under a big tree. He opened it, making sure no one saw him, and pulled out his sketch pad and pencil. He started to laugh, noticing how happy his family was when they weren't surrounded by death and tragedy. He laughed even harder as he watched Prentiss catch the ball and run to her end line, only to have Morgan pick her up and carry her to his end line. That was it. That was the picture he was going to draw. Morgan carrying Prentiss, his son and Henry tackling each other, Garcia laughing on the sidelines, and Rossi trying to chase Reid down for no reason at all. As he was drawing he hadn't noticed that the team was finishing their game and was noticing him. He was quickly able to get most of the picture down and started adding more detail.

He was actually smiling as he did this, well, in his mind he was. He had finally found his way to vent and it didn't involve talking, which was a good thing for him. He poured his emotions into his drawings and he felt relief as he was completely able to express himself without worrying about people judging him. And he was really good at it to, of course he would never admit it.

"Hey daddy?" his son asked breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Yes buddy?"

"Are you gonna come eat wif us? We just finished the game."

"Of course bud, just let me put my things away."

"Are you doing your special thing? Can I see?"

Hotch smiled. He had told his son about his drawings and he loved to see them. Jack had understood that he kept it a secret and had agreed to help him. He had even nicknamed it his special gift.

"Of course you can, but it's not finished yet and you know what that means right?"

"That I can't see it until you are done, and if someone asks it's just paperwork." He replied sadly. "Will you at least tell me what it's about?"

"It is of the family playing football and how much fun everyone is having." He replied as he put everything back in his briefcase and locked it. "Now are you ready for some food?"

"You bet! Come on daddy! I wanna get all the good stuff and have you sit by me and Henry!" He exclaimed pulling on his dad's hand dragging him back to the table.

"Alright what are we waiting for! Dig in my pretties!" Garcia announced.

As the team created their plates, Hotch noticed his team start giving him questioning glances. He just tried shake it off, focusing his attention back on Henry and Jack.

As everyone was finishing their meals, he knew that their staring was getting worse. Once again trying to ignore it, he started picking up the leftovers.

"Alright Hotch, what were you doing under that tree?" Rossi finally asked.

"Just doing my own thing, that's all." He replied putting his best innocent look on.

"I saw that you had a briefcase, and pencil and paper. But it wasn't your usual briefcase, plus this one locks." Reid added.

"So you have a secret in there that you don't want us to see?" JJ said raising her eyebrows.

"Maybe. But it is completely my business." Hotch said firmly.

"Fine if you won't be straight with us then I will use my secret contact. Jack, what was your daddy doing under that tree?" Rossi asked the little boy.

"Daddy asked me not to talk about it Uncle Rossi." He replied.

"How about I give you your favorite candy bar then will you tell me what he was doing?"

"Only if  
it's with you right now and you have one for Henry too." The two boys said, smiling at their genius.

"Don't worry, I thought Hotch might try to pull something. Jack for you, and Henry for you." Garcia replied pulling out the little boy's favorite candy bars. "Now what was your daddy doing?"

"He was doing paperwork Auntie Penny!" Jack replied running off with Henry to eat their candy, while he left his dad to the wolves.

"You were what?!" Garcia roared. "This is a family outing! That is it, consequences shall befall you from the all-knowing goddess of knowledge! Your punishment starts now, hand that briefcase over this instant!"

"Fine." Hotch let out a sigh. "But I get it back the moment this outing is all over."

"Oh I don't think so. I am confiscating this for a week! At least!"

"Nope. If you are going to play that way, then I won't play at all. This stays with me." Hotch told them firmly.

"Nope, my baby girl is right. Either give us what's inside, or it gets confiscated." Morgan told him.

Before anyone could pry it out of his hands, his phone started ringing.

"Hotchner."

"Yes I understand."

"No of course I can, I'll leave right now. Just let me drop Jack off over at Jess' house and I can be there in a few minutes."

"Alright love you too, see you soon, bye."

"The plot thickens. First he does paperwork on our outings, now he says I love you over the phone? Hotch has a dirty little secret." Prentiss teased.

"Hotch if you don't spill right now I will find every secret in your life and post all of them on the internet! What makes you think you can hide something from me?" Garcia questioned.

"Alright first of all, that was my brother who is flying in from New York and needs a ride and we have important things to discuss. Second, my briefcase, my business." Hotch told them. "Jack you ready to go to Aunt Jess' so I can pick up Uncle Shawn?"

"Yeah! Will I getta see Uncle Shawn later daddy?" Jack asked running into his father's waiting arms.

"You bet buddy! Alright, will you help me pick up our stuff and take it to the car?"

As they carried all their things to the car, the team continued to follow Hotch. "Alright get in the car, I will be there in a sec." Hotch told Jack. "Ok, spit it out now before I report all of you for stalking."

"I think it's pretty obvious. We want to know what is in the case." JJ replied shrugging.

"I already told you, no. And you will never drag it out of me. See you Monday." Hotch replied getting into his car and driving away.

"No one panic. He will be spilling his guts by the end of the week." Rossi said with a twisted smirk.

It had been one long week for a specific Unit Chief of the BAU. His entire team had been taunting, teasing, pulling pranks and even threatening to find out what was in his _special_ briefcase. But he had not cracked. He had acted as if he was wearing down but he knew they would try something. But to be honest, he loved it. He was drawing everything they did to try and make him crack and it was great way for him to de-stressify. Looking over the drawings always made him smile. They were moments that he would never forget, and made his job worth it. As he was picking up the rest of his files in his office, the whole team came in.

"Hey Hotch. You wanna come have a drink?" Morgan asked.

"Nope. I'm gonna go pick Jack up and I still have to make dinner. Thanks though."

"That's it I can't take it! Hotch what were you doing under that tree and what is in that case! The suspense is killing me!" Garcia yelled.

"I told you that it's my business, not yours. Some things are just better kept secret." He said smirking, trying to head for the door, he was stopped by Rossi's arm.

"Aaron, I want to know what is in that case. We all do."

At this he smiled. "Alright but first let us make a deal shall we? I show you what I was working on that day at the park and all of you leave me alone for five months, meaning no pressuring, no awkward topics and when I say leave me alone, I mean it. If all of you would please sign here." Hotch replied. Pulling out a 'contract' that he created for just such a reason. As everyone signed, he pulled out a case with a special lock on it.

"Thank you for your contribution to the 'Stop Bugging Hotch Foundation' it is much appreciated. Now, in this case is what I was doing at the park under that tree. It is in a very special case, which allows me to open it when I press a special button, which I will do once I am a safe distance away. Violation of this 'contract' will result in the violator doing all of my paperwork for three months. And if you try to weasel out of that, well let's just say that Garcia isn't the only one who can seek vengeance. I will see all of you Monday, and I don't want to hear a word about this. Ever."

So the team stood there and watched Hotch leave the office and eventually saw his car drive away when they suddenly heard a loud click. Rossi walked over to the desk and opened the case slowly. What he pulled out only puzzled the team more. It was a square that had 'Congratulations!' wrapping paper with a card attached. He opened the card and read it aloud. "Congratulations, all of you are so nosy you will now learn one of my biggest secrets. But don't let it go to your head. I was going to give this to all of you anyway. Hope you all like it."

"What do you think it could be?" Reid asks.

"Well let's open it and find out." Morgan answered.

So Rossi slowly opened the present and stared at it in shock. Finally he passed it around and everyone gasped. They were looking at a framed photo of the day they spent at the park. The drawing was so amazing it could easily be considered a photograph if it wasn't for the pencil marks.

"Oh my gosh, this is amazing. Did Hotch draw this?" JJ asked.

"Yeah I think he did. I wonder why he wanted to keep it a secret." Reid wondered.

"I wonder what else is in there?" Rossi wondered.


End file.
